Land vehicle navigation systems are known in which a navigation computer receives position and heading information, as well as stored road map information, and calculates a desired navigation route between start and desired destination locations. Instructions to the vehicle driver are provided via either audible instructions and/or visual displays such that the driver will implement the desired navigation route. Philips has implemented such a system in their "CARIN" navigation system as described in Philips Technical Review, Vol. 43, No. 11/12, December 1987 and published EPC patent applications serial numbers 88201770.0 and 88201827.8 as well as other Philips publications. A similar system has also been described in the literature with regard to the United Kingdom "Autoguide" navigation system ("Autoguide-Route Guidance in the United Kingdom" by Catling and Belcher, IEEE 1989 article CH2789-6/89/0000-0467).
In such prior systems, various visual display icons are used to provide the vehicle driver with information with regard to desired vehicle maneuvers. Typically, a turn is indicated as an intersection is approached wherein the turn is visually displayed as a bent or segmented planar arrow displayed on a substantially planar CRT or LCD display screen. In addition, the Autoguide system noted above also provides a separate bar graph type indication visually depicting the amount of vehicle travel distance remaining prior to the implementation of the desired vehicle maneuver (turn).
Such systems have been found to be deficient in that they fail to rapidly sufficiently visually convey the desired vehicle maneuver to the vehicle driver and/or fail to accomplish this task while providing a visual display large enough to be easily recognized but still utilizing a minimum amount of available display space since typically the amount of available display space is very limited.